When You Feel Thrown Away… You’re Not
What sourdough bread taught me about being sidelined… and useful again
I’m not much of a baker.
My wife is. For the last couple of years she’s been deep into sourdough.
If you know sourdough, you know the ritual. A living starter in a jar. The right environment. Bubbles that mean life. Then there’s the discard… the portion you remove so the starter stays healthy.
Some toss it.
Some repurpose it.
She repurposed it… into sourdough discard biscuits that were unreal.
And it got me thinking.
There are seasons when we feel like the discard.
Cut from a team.
Pushed out of a role.
Shelved by a friend group or overlooked at church.
Sometimes even fired.
People say, “Move on. Don’t take it personally.”
But it stings. It lingers. It can define you if you let it.
A personal word
I’m in my 50s now. I have served in a lot of leadership roles. Associate pastor for years. We planted a church. I have led large teams in tech.
So I know what it feels like to be discarded.
I have been betrayed by leaders. I have been betrayed by friends. I have been overlooked. It hurts.
One season stands out. For a long time, we were being raised up as leaders. Then the movement shifted to a “young leaders” focus. Somehow I was too young earlier… then too old later. And we are talking 30s and 40s here, not seventeen and ninety.
It felt like all the blood, sweat, tears, and love we had poured into that community didn’t count anymore. Not the “young, bright, and shiny”… not invited.
Here is the grace in that story.
When one room stopped calling my name, God opened another.
Different community. Different assignment. Same purpose.
Being set aside in one place became the doorway to serve in another. My identity wasn’t in the stage… it was in the One who gives the assignment.
You are not the discard. You are the dough God is still shaping.
When you feel discarded
1) Name it
Be honest. Write one line about what happened. Clarity lifts fog.
2) Forgive
Not because it was fine… because you will not carry it into the next room.
3) Repurpose
Pray this: “Lord, how can You use me now, even here”
New rooms open when you stop trying to re-enter the old ones.
4) Re-enter
Take one small step. A coffee invite. A new application. Serving somewhere quietly. Motion creates momentum.
God specializes in repurposing what others write off.
Sourdough discard still makes something beautiful. So can you.
Try this today
• Write one sentence naming where you felt sidelined
• Choose one act of forgiveness to practice
• Take one step of repurpose… message someone, apply, or serve
👉 If this hit home, tell me your next step. I read every reply.
Sourdough Discard Biscuits
Simple, tender, and perfect with butter and honey
Ingredients
• 1 cup cold sourdough discard (unfed)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ¾ cup cold buttermilk
Method
Heat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan.
Whisk dry ingredients.
Cut in butter to pea-size crumbs.
Stir in discard and buttermilk until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
Pat to ¾ inch. Fold in half, turn, repeat 2–3 times.
Cut biscuits. Place close together. Brush tops with buttermilk.
Bake 12–15 minutes until tall and golden. Serve warm.
Notes
If dry, add a tablespoon of buttermilk. For extra lift, chill cut biscuits 10 minutes before baking.
This is timely for me because my last post includes a time where I felt sidelined. When I was at what I thought to be peak, I was cast aside and told I wasn’t committed to the mission of my employer. Ouch. Writing about it helped me to forgive.
What a fantastic analogy and message. Thank you for sharing!